Dasha Fincher said she was borrowing a friend's car when she noticed a
half-eaten bag of blue cotton candy in the floorboard. It was the kind
kids like to buy from gas stations near her Macon home. She thought
little of it until a few minutes later when it became the biggest
problem in her life.

On New Year's Eve 2016, Monroe County deputies pulled the car over for
a suspected window-tint violation and spotted the bag. They used a
quick roadside test kit on the blue stuff and got a positive result
for methamphetamine. Fincher ended up charged with trafficking meth
and held in jail for three months on a breathtaking $1 million cash
bond before a lab test found the "meth" was really just cotton candy,
according to a lawsuit.

Philadelphia stands to gain at least two new medical marijuana stores
while Reading scored three more dispensaries with the awarding of
permits Tuesday morning by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

MLH Explorations LLC, a cannabis company aligned with Thomas Jefferson
University, won a permit to operate a retail outlet at 8th and Locust
Streets. The retail outlet will do business as Solterra Care - Locust
Street.

Beyond/Hello, which is readying a dispensary at 12th and Sansom
Streets for the first quarter of 2019, also plans to open a retail
store at 475 N. 5th Street in Northern Liberties. Beyond / Hello is
owned by Franklin Bioscience LLC which already operates a dispensary
in Bristol.

CBD, a cannabis compound, is in everything from gumdrops to bath bombs.

In Maplewood Mall, holiday shoppers pick up CBD tinctures from an
organic hemp farm at the Nothing But Hemp kiosk. Festive gift sets
with CBD-infused body lotions, shampoos and soaps are available a few
miles away at Minnesota Hempdropz. Spot Spa in Minneapolis has CBD oil
massages on its list of services and tries to keep pricey gourmet
gumdrops from "aspirational" CBD purveyor Lord Jones on its shelves.
The problem? They continually sell out.

Howard Dean, the former Democratic candidate for president, and
Michael Steele, the ex-head of the Republican National Committee are
joining the advisory board of Tilray Inc., the Canadian cannabis
grower, the company has announced.

Backed by Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, Tilray was briefly
worth more than $28 billion -- valued at more than Twitter or CBS --
in September after it became the first cannabis company to be listed
on an American stock exchange. The company made a second splash this
year when it was chosen by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to provide
a small amount of marijuana for a study at the University of
California, San Diego.

Legalizing marijuana is looming as a next big political showdown at
the Minnesota State Capitol.

Fully legalizing marijuana in Minnesota is looming as a next big
political showdown at the Capitol, as a growing number of states are
ending bans on recreational cannabis.

Gov.-elect Tim Walz, who favors ending marijuana prohibition, will
replace Gov. Mark Dayton, who doesn't. A new Democratic House majority
will debate proposals to legalize next year and will likely take votes
on the issue as soon as 2019 or 2020. And, not one but two legal pot
parties -- the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party and Legal Marijuana
Now Party -- emerged with 5 percent of the vote in statewide
elections, giving them "major party status," which means automatic
ballot access and the chance for campaign subsidies.

NEW YORK - One of the world's biggest tobacco companies is diving into
the cannabis market with a $1.8 billion buy-in.

Store manager Stephanie Hunt posed for photos, in July 2015, with a
pack of Marlboro cigarettes, an Altria brand, at a Smoker Friendly
shop in Pittsburgh. Altria is diving into the Canadian cannabis market
with a $2.4 billion investment in Toronto-based medical and
recreational marijuana provider Cronos Group.

Marlboro maker Altria Group Inc. is taking a 45 percent stake in
Cronos Group, the Canadian medical and recreational marijuana provider
said today.

As dozens of states move toward legalizing marijuana -- for both
medical and recreational purposes -- scientists and parents have asked
what the impact might be on children. Will more teens use pot? Will
doing so cause behavioral problems? Will they develop a substance-use
disorder?

According to a new study published last month in the journal Addiction:
yes, probably not, and maybe.

The study, led by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University
of Pennsylvania, found that marijuana use among teens does not lead to
conduct problems. In fact, it's the other way around. Adolescents with
conduct problems, like cheating, skipping class, and stealing, are
more likely to gravitate toward marijuana use.

The Minnesota Department of Health is adding the degenerative
neurological disorder to its cannabis program, which includes cancer
pain, epileptic seizures, PTSD and autism. Research is limited, but
findings suggest that cannabis inhibits the formation of proteins
linked to memory loss and dementia.

Alzheimer's disease will be eligible for treatment with medical
marijuana in Minnesota starting next year, becoming the 14th health
condition certified by the state since the program began in 2015.

The Minnesota Department of Health announced Monday that it was adding
the degenerative neurological disorder to its cannabis program, which
already includes cancer pain, epileptic seizures, post-traumatic
stress disorder and autism.

University of Hawaii researchers have discovered that the use of
marijuana may reverse heart failure.

A recent study shows that drugs can protect and reverse damage to the
heart from the stress that progresses the disease. Heart failure can
be caused by heart attacks, leaky valves, hypertension and other illnesses.

Alexander Stokes, assistant professor in cell and molecular biology at
the UH John A. Burns School of Medicine, said the potential medical
benefits of cannabis to treat heart disease is promising.

TRENTON -- New Jersey lawmakers have unveiled their latest proposal to
legalize recreational marijuana use for people 21 and over. A joint
Democrat-led Assembly and Senate committee is expected to discuss the
package Monday.

One bill provides for legalizing an ounce of marijuana for adults 21
and older, setting up a five-person cannabis commission, and taxing
the sale of the substance at 12 percent.

That rate includes the 6.625 percent sales tax. The draft also permits
local governments to apply up to a 2 percent tax on cannabis. An
earlier measure called for gradually increasing tax rates.

The legislation also calls for expediting expungements for people with
marijuana-related criminal backgrounds.

Gov. Murphy supports marijuana legalization. His office did not
comment on the new legislation Wednesday.

Stateside, recreational marijuana use became legal in Vermont on July
1, Oklahoma voters approved one of the country's most progressive
medical marijuana bills in June, the New York Department of Health
officially recommended legalization to the governor and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands legalized recreational
use.

Now, legalization advocates are hoping to build on these successes
with a number of statewide ballot measures up for consideration
Tuesday, including full recreational legalization in two states and
medical marijuana in two more. Here's a rundown of what the measures
say and where the polling on them currently stands.

Temporary bans in Boca Raton, Coral Springs, Margate, Tamarac and
Pembroke Pines have become permanent, effectively keeping dispensaries
out of certain communities and drawing concerns from medical
marijuana's proponents. They join at least seven other South Florida
cities with bans.

More than 80 state legislative or statewide campaigns and campaign
committees have accepted some $800,000 from the medical marijuana
industry during the 2018 election cycle, according to a review of
campaign finance records by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

That could mean the closure of accounts and a scramble to find a place
to deposit campaign funds. Wells Fargo decided to close the campaign
account of Democratic Agriculture Commissioner candidate Nikki Fried
after she accepted industry money. She then opened an account with
BB&T, which also promptly closed it. She now banks with Florida
Community Bank.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency on Tuesday granted approval to
Tilray, Inc. to import research-grade marijuana products from Canada
for a clinical trial at the University of California San Diego.

Tilray, Inc.'s shares spiked more than 16 percent Tuesday morning on
the news that it will provide a cannabinoids for a study on essential
tremor (ET), a neurological movement disorder characterized by
involuntary and rhythmic shaking. The clinical trial, which will start
in 2019, will be conducted at the university's Center for Medicinal
Cannabis Research (CMCR). According to the CMCR, current drugs to
treat essential tremor (originally developed for high blood pressure
or seizures) are ineffective for many patients.

Removing marijuana's federal schedule 1 status is a campaign issue in
the 16th Congressional District race.

SARASOTA -- Candidates for the District 16 congressional race are
staking out divergent positions on the question of whether marijuana
should be removed from Schedule 1 status to afford military veterans
another potentially potent option for dealing with PTSD and traumatic
brain injuries, something explored recently by the Herald-Tribune and
supported by a growing field of veterans and national veterans
organizations in the face of an epidemic of military suicides.

A school-based survey shows nearly 1 in 11 U.S. students have used
marijuana in electronic cigarettes, heightening health concerns about
the new popularity of vaping among teens.

E-cigarettes typically contain nicotine, but many of the
battery-powered devices can vaporize other substances, including
marijuana. Results published Monday mean 2.1 million middle and high
school students have used them to get high.

Vaping is generally considered less dangerous than smoking, because
burning tobacco or marijuana generates chemicals that are harmful to
lungs. But there is little research on e-cigarettes' long-term
effects, including whether they help smokers quit.

Coca-Cola says it's monitoring the nascent industry and is interested
in drinks infused with CBD -- the non-psychoactive ingredient in
marijuana that treats pain but doesn't get you high. The Atlanta-based
soft drinks maker is in talks with Canadian marijuana producer Aurora
Cannabis to develop the beverages, according to a report from BNN
Bloomberg Television.

Riverside County's cannabis task force says it seized more than 100
pounds of cannabis and an estimated $75,000 to $100,000 in cash
Friday, Sept. 14, from three sites where The Vault Church says it uses
marijuana as a religious sacrament.

The task force, led by the District Attorney's Office, served search
warrants at three locations operated by The Vault: 291 N. Yale St.,
Hemet; 5298 Mission Blvd., Jurupa Valley; and 5024 Etiwanda Ave., Jurupa
Valley. At the Etiwanda location, they also found two indoor grows,
seized 200 to 300 plants in various stages of harvest and found what
they believe to be the remnants of a butane honey oil lab, according to
a news release.

The family of Botham Jean, the unarmed black man who authorities say
was fatally shot by a Dallas police officer inside his own apartment,
spent Thursday celebrating his life. Hundreds of people filed into the
Greenville Avenue Church of Christ in Richardson, Texas, to pay their
respects at Jean's funeral service, remembering the 26-year-old
businessman as, what his friend Pastor Michael Griffin described him,
"the light in a dark room."

But then around 5 p.m., the family's lawyers were alerted to some
apparent breaking news in the investigation into Jean's death.

Auditor Dave Yost characterized the Department of Commerce's roll-out
of its share of the fledgling program as "sloppy" with dozens of
errors and inconsistencies. The program was supposed to be fully
operational Sept. 8, but the state is months behind in having legal
product on the shelves for purchase.

"The department didn't do a very good job launching this program," Mr.
Yost said. "It did not exercise due diligence to make sure Ohioans
could have complete confidence in the process. The department's work
was sloppy. Ohioans deserved better."

BOSTON - A handful of the marijuana businesses granted provisional
licenses have informed the Cannabis Control Commission they are ready
to be inspected, one of the final steps before retail sales of
marijuana, approved by voters almost two years ago, can begin.

CCC Chairman Steven Hoffman said late last week the agency is working
to schedule inspections for two or three provisionally licensed
businesses. Hoffman said the inspections are expected to take place
"over the next week, plus or minus."

He said it's possible the CCC could vote at its next meeting, Sept.
20, to issue a final license if a business passes its inspection and
fulfills other requirements by then.

Barbara Tillis isn't sure when she'll get to see her son, Corvain
Cooper, again.

Every few months for the past four years, Tillis, has driven five
hours with her husband, daughter and Cooper's oldest daughter, making
the trip from Rialto to the federal prison in Atwater, near Merced.
They'd spend the day visiting and chatting, and guards would let each
family member give Cooper exactly one hug. When the visit was over,
they'd reluctantly pile into the car and drive home.

Six days after confirming approval of medical marijuana dispensary
bans in Northboro and Bellingham, Attorney General Maura Healey's
office reversed its decision.

In an Aug. 25 Telegram & Gazette story, a spokesperson for the AG's
office confirmed that the office in June approved bylaws passed in the
two towns that ban medical marijuana dispensaries. The 2012 Medical
Marijuana law originally prohibited any municipality from banning
medical marijuana dispensaries. An AG spokeswoman said at the time the
approval was based on Section 56 (subsection d) of Chapter 55 Acts of
2017.

He stood with prosecutors, judges, treatment center operators, and
addicts to argue that Issue 1 would remove the stick that gets addicts
into treatment as an alternative to prison time.

"This threat, carefully used by our judges, has saved thousands and
thousands of lives," Mr. DeWine said. "Issue 1 would take that away,
and thousands would remain in the grips of opioids by not getting the
treatment they need to recover. Because the truth is that some people
just don't go into treatment unless they are pushed to do it. There's
nothing humane about Issue 1."

A police crackdown on local unlicensed marijuana businesses has ended
with misdemeanor charges against more than 500 people in Los Angeles,
the city attorney's office said.

In 120 criminal cases filed since May, City Atty. Mike Feuer has
charged 515 people in connection with 105 illegal marijuana
businesses, grow sites, extraction labs and delivery companies located
throughout the city, his office announced Friday.

All of the defendants were charged with unlicensed commercial cannabis
activity within the city, which carries a potential sentence of six
months in jail and $1,000 in fines. Local judges have been hearing the
cases since May with arraignments scheduled through the end of
October, Feuer's office said.

Tens of thousands of low-level marijuana convictions could be erased
with the OK of Brooklyn's top prosecutor, under a new plan for wiping
records clean of offenses no longer being prosecuted in parts of the
nation's biggest city.

District Attorney Eric Gonzalez announced Friday he is inviting people
to request conviction dismissals. He expects prosecutors will consent
in the great majority of a potential 20,000 cases since 1990 and an
unknown number of older ones.

To Gonzalez, whose office has stopped prosecuting most cases involving
people accused of having small amounts of pot, it's only right to nix
convictions that wouldn't be pursued now.

SARASOTA -- Several panelists made their cases in a Thursday forum for
why marijuana should no longer be classified by the federal government
as a Schedule 1 drug as dangerous as heroin.

The program focused on the Herald-Tribune project "Warriors Rise Up,"
which found a gaping rift between what many combat veterans want to
treat their post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries
and what they can legally get.

Rather than a cocktail of painkillers, many veterans prefer the relief
they receive from marijuana. Because of marijuana's Schedule 1
designation under federal law, however, the VA has not considered it
an option -- even in states that have legalized the drug for medical
use.

Maryland has banned food from its medical cannabis program but it
still provides ways for patients to ingest the drug.

Dave hadn't slept for more than three hours straight after a series of
botched surgeries 18 years ago left him with chronic pain so intense
it kept him awake at night. Relief was hard to come by -- until he
made a tray of marijuana-infused brownies. Half of a small fudgy
square was enough to put him to sleep for 14 hours.

Medical pot sellers in the north suburbs are lauding a new Illinois
law that will eventually allow patients who might be prescribed an
opioid-based painkiller to qualify for medical marijuana as an
alternative.

The Opioid Alternative Pilot Program has the potential to expand
marijuana access to patients who have been, or could be prescribed
medications such as Oxycontin, Percocet or Vicodin, even if they don't
have one of the medical conditions the state otherwise requires for
eligibility. Gov. Bruce Rauner signed the law on Aug. 28.

SARASOTA -- The perky melody behind Hollywood Undead's "Bullet"
conflicts sharply with the despair in its refrain: "A stomach full of
pills didn't work again/I'll put a bullet in my head and I'm gone, gone
gone ... "In the days preceding Alan Younger's death, his widow, Amber,
says she could hear it playing all the time on his earbuds.

After learning last week of the Trump administration's apparent
designs on keeping marijuana chained to its Schedule 1 status, the
widow of a veteran she describes as "an awesome father"
is now adding her voice to a growing chorus of Americans imploring
Congress to take action.

Constellation Brands Inc. -- the $40 billion brewer of Corona beer,
vintner of Mondavi wines, and distiller of Black Velvet whiskey --
helped drive select marijuana stocks higher on Wednesday after
Constellation's chief operating officer trumpeted that the legal
cannabis industry was well on its way to becoming a global force,
according to Bloomberg News.

"We think this is going to be a big business worldwide," said
Constellation's Bill Newlands, Bloomberg reported. "This is not going
to be limited to Canada. This will undoubtedly be a market that
develops in the United States. It's developing around the world in
places like Germany and Australia and other markets."

Prosecutors in New Jersey cannot unilaterally decriminalize marijuana
possession in their jurisdictions, the state attorney general
announced Wednesday, but they are being encouraged to use their
discretion with people charged with low-level cannabis crimes.

State Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal issued a guidance memo to the
Garden State's prosecutors, asking them to carefully consider the
repercussions of a marijuana conviction on the lives of people charged
with simple possession.

He asked prosecutors to weigh the "collateral consequences" a
conviction might have on a defendant's ability to find work, remain in
school, and receive government loans, housing, and licensing. Grewal
also requested prosecutors to take into account age, circumstances of
arrest, immigration consequences, and adverse familial
consequences.

A decade after first appearing in the United States, fake weed is seen
as a growing health danger.

Some marijuana smokers turned to it because it is relatively cheap and
not detected in routine drug testing. Dozens of people in New Haven,
Conn., went to the hospital this week after overdosing on a batch of
synthetic marijuana.

A look at the issue:

While states have moved to legalize traditional marijuana, fake pot
has become a public health threat. Synthetic marijuana is a
mind-altering drug made by taking plant material and spraying it with
chemicals that can mimic the high from marijuana. It is sold under
names like K2, AK47, Spice, Kush, Kronic, and Scooby Snax.

Chicago police officers pointed their guns at two young children while
executing a search warrant at the wrong address, according to a
lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court.

Gilbert Mendez is suing the city, saying police used excessive force
when officers rammed their way through the front door of his McKinley
Park apartment last November, according to court documents. The
officers had intended to raid the apartment of Mendez's upstairs
neighbor, who was suspected of drug possession. But Mendez, his wife,
Hester, and two children Jack, 5, and Peter, 9, were alarmed when
police officers barged in with guns drawn, the suit says.

As Louisiana's medical marijuana program takes shape some patients
might have to make a difficult choice: keep their gun ownership rights
or participate in the program.

Louisiana is one of 30 states that have approved medical marijuana
laws in some form. Although the state's nine dispensaries won't open
until later this year, patients who qualify for medical marijuana
under Louisiana law may be surprised to learn that federal law
restricts their ability to purchase a gun if they use marijuana.

Medical marijuana dispensaries in Pennsylvania are bracing for a surge
in new customers when vaporizable "flower" -- the most popular and
recognizable form of cannabis -- goes on sale on Wednesday, Aug. 1.

"We're expecting 300 to 400 patients at our Abington store the first
day," said Chris Visco, co-founder of TerraVida Holistic Centers.
"People will likely be in line at 8 a.m. We're hiring an extra
security guard and an extra valet parking person. This is a
game-changer."

Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions' decision to withdraw an Obama-era directive
discouraging the enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states that
have legalized pot shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with Sessions'
views on drug laws.

The attorney general has every right to enforce federal drug laws as
vigorously as he sees fit. But just because he can doesn't mean he
should. The truth is that resuming the discredited war on marijuana
would be neither a smart step nor welcome policy, and just the threat
of it is a reminder of the shortsightedness of the federal
government's approach to drugs.

An LDS missionary passes by the Salt Lake Temple at Temple Square in
Salt Lake City. Voters this fall in Utah will cast ballots on a
measure that would allow medical marijuana. (Isaac Hale / For The Times)

Brian Stoll faced a dilemma as his wedding day approached. For more
than a year, he had been smoking marijuana to treat severe back pain,
but to remain in good standing with the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints and get married in the temple, he had to stop using
pot.

JERSEY CITY - Every city in America knows that it's a bad idea to
prosecute low-level, nonviolent marijuana offenses. It wastes scarce
municipal resources and does nothing to enhance public safety. What's
more, even though whites and blacks use marijuana at similar rates,
blacks are more harshly punished for it.

That's why, on July 19, marijuana offenses were effectively
decriminalized in Jersey City, New Jersey's second most populous city.

Prosecutors treated every marijuana case that day as a violation
instead of a misdemeanor, unless driving under the influence was
involved. We told our prosecutors to ask for no more than a $50 fine,
or just five hours of community service if the defendant couldn't pay
that fee. Instances like the absence of any public nuisance or a low
likelihood of re-offense would warrant outright dismissal. We also
stressed the importance of diverting people with an obvious drug
addiction toward social services.

The federal government should follow the growing movement in the states
and repeal the ban on marijuana for both medical and recreational use.

It took 13 years for the United States to come to its senses and end
Prohibition, 13 years in which people kept drinking, otherwise
law-abiding citizens became criminals and crime syndicates arose and
flourished. It has been more than 40 years since Congress passed the
current ban on marijuana, inflictingA great harm on society just to
prohibit a substance far less dangerous than alcohol.

Jessica King's daughter was in the intensive care unit. The newborn
was twitching, and doctors were monitoring her for symptoms such as
vomiting and sweating.

King, 35, felt devastated to see her daughter this way. She was also
gutted by guilt that her actions had put her there.

"I just remember thinking, 'I'm either going to let this consume me,
the guilt and the shame, or I'm going to move on, and I'm going to
keep trying to do the next right thing,'" said King, who battles with
opioid addiction, which can include heroin, fentanyl and prescription
pain relievers like oxycodone.

Despite limited evidence, Americans have an increasingly positive view
of the health benefits of marijuana. Nearly two-thirds believe pot can
reduce pain, while close to half say it improves symptoms of anxiety,
depression, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis, according to a new
online survey of 9,003 adults.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey are among the 30 states, along with the
District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico, that have legalized
medical marijuana. But scientists say hard data on the health effects
of pot -- both positive and negative -- are largely missing. Because
marijuana is considered an illicit drug by the federal government,
research has been scant, though there are efforts underway in
Pennsylvania and nationally to remedy that.

Jersey City's mayor is planting himself at the forefront of a national
movement to stop destroying people's lives for having a little marijuana.

Steven Fulop is firmly on the right side of this issue, and Gov. Phil
Murphy's attorney general, Gurbir Grewal, is not fighting him on it --
once again demonstrating that he is not just concerned with law and
order, but justice.

Grewal has been receptive to reform efforts in general, creating a
statewide team to investigate wrongful convictions, for instance,
after a bungled murder case in Passaic County.

New Jersey's attorney general has announced an immediate adjournment
of all marijuana cases in municipal courts statewide until at least
September.

The decision was included in a letter state Attorney General Gurbir
Grewal sent Tuesday to municipal prosecutors in the state. It asked
them to seek an adjournment until September 4 -- or later -- of any
matter "involving a marijuana-related offense pending in municipal
court," a move that will allow the attorney general's office time to
develop "appropriate guidance" for prosecutors.

Legalizing marijuana for adult recreational use in Pennsylvania could
generate more than $580 million in tax revenue for the state, said
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale in a report issued Thursday morning.

"Pennsylvania's budget challenges are now a consistent factor in all
state policy decisions," said DePasquale. "Taxing marijuana offers a
rare glimmer of fiscal hope, providing a way to refocus the state
budget process away from filling its own gaps."